The late Pope Francis allocated his remaining funds to a youth rehabilitation initiative within a Roman prison as one of his last acts as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
Prior to his passing last month, Francis removed all funds from his personal bank account, directing the money to a pasta factory that employs both current and former inmates at the Casar del Marmo Detention Centre, various reports state.
This factory, known as Pastificio Futuro, was envisioned with the goal of transforming future prospects.
The project, founded by the social cooperative Gustolibero Onlus, aligns with Pope Francis’s message: “Don’t let yourself take away hope,” as noted on its website.
Pope Francis died at the age of 88 due to a stroke and cardiac arrest on Easter Monday.
In his final days, he was grappling with double pneumonia following several health issues in recent years.
While at the helm of the Church, Francis placed significant emphasis on aiding incarcerated individuals.
According to Vatican News, he consistently urged society to cultivate more compassion and respect for these individuals, viewing them as capable of transformation.
The National Catholic Reporter mentions how he aimed to assist those behind bars, striving to provide support and uplift those within the prison system.
Born in 1936 to Italian immigrant parents in Argentina, Francis made history as the first pope from the Americas, and notably, the first Jesuit to obtain the papacy.
He ascended to the papacy in 2013 following the groundbreaking retirement of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.
Francis embarked on his religious journey at the Parish Seminary School in Villa Devoto, Argentina.
He was ordained as a priest in 1969, ultimately making his final vows with the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits, in 1973.
In that same year, he took up the role of head of order.
Pope John Paul II appointed him bishop of Orca and auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992 at the behest of Cardinal Antonio Cualashino, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
Bergoglio became a vital figure in the Argentine Catholic community, soon achieving the title of co-bishop of Buenos Aires and assuming control of the archdiocese the year following Cualacino’s death.
Bergoglio received the cardinal’s distinct red hat from Pope John Paul II in 2001.
After Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation in 2013, Bergoglio was chosen as pope, taking on the name “Francis” in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.
